Part I, Chapters 1-3 Summary and Analysis

Unbroken begins with a short but dramatic preface. Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who became a bombardier in the Army Air Forces in World War II, drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a small raft after the crash of his plane. Two other survivors of the crash were with him and after nearly 30 days adrift they suffered from starvation, exposure and lack of water. They were surrounded by sharks. Suddenly, a plane flew past and the men tried feebly to signal it. The plane turned back toward them and dropped low over the men. It was a Japanese plane, and it began firing machine guns at them. Zamperini's companions were too weak to get into the water, but he jumped overboard to escape the bullets. Beneath him, the sharks began to stir.